Abstract

Gilly Salmon, Professor of e-Learning and Learning Technologies at the Beyond Distance Research Alliance, and David Hawkridge, Visiting Professor, University of Leicester Emeritus Professor of Applied Educational Sciences, discussed the role of three-dimensional multi-user virtual environments (3-D MUVE) in the guest editorial of the British Journal of Educational Technology (BJET). SL (Second Life) is by far the most widely used 3-D MUVE, which is accessible through the Internet and owned by Linden Lab, based in the USA. The editors describe Kirriemuir, who has pointed out that a 3-D MUVE such as SL, with millions of registered users worldwide, might be of interest to universities' marketing departments hoping to build up student numbers. The researchers are also looking at whether SL collaborations lead to real-life collaborations. Finally, with help and advice from Eric Deeson, the BJET Reviews Editor, the guest editors include reviews of books likely to be useful to readers wishing to investigate 3-D MUVEs for themselves.